Matcha has two cracks

[Pjama]

Had it two months! After I purchased it, I found out from Reddit that this was possible, so checked it a lot during my first month with it so I could return if I had a problem.

Yesterday, I was reading in the backyard, and turned it over to admire the back (because I love the color and the feel of it), and there was a crack on each side. One was going all the way to the top and almost going around to the front. The other was very long as well.

I love this lil Kindle so didn't want to send it back.

Long story short, a replacement is arriving on Monday. Definitely refurbished, but hopefully it will be in good condition.

Like others, I believe the official case is too tight for this Kindle, and have ordered a soft backed silicone Fintie case for the "new" one.

I have treated this Kindle very very well. I do like to take it out of its case often, and read with no case on. That is all that could have caused the cracks.

I also wonder if something about the green dye has caused some brittleness in the chemical composition of the backplate, as I have not heard of this happening to the black one.

Will post pictures later if anyone wants.

I'm a little disappointed - I've been buying Kindles since 2010, and this is the first time ever one has cracked like this. And after only two months of normal use.

TLDR:
Kindle Matcha cracked chassis in two places after two months of normal use.

[pdurrant]

A free replacement? It certainly should last longer than 2 months!

[Pjama]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

A free replacement? It certainly should last longer than 2 months!

Yes, a free replacement with a ‘like-new’ one. Hmm - I suppose I’m lucky it happened in the first year if it was going to happen. Yes, only two months! I only picked it up because I was outside in the bright sunlight. If the cracks weren’t so long, and curving round the side, I maybe would have kept it.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Pjama

Yes, a free replacement with a ‘like-new’ one. Hmm - I suppose I’m lucky it happened in the first year if it was going to happen. Yes, only two months! I only picked it up because I was outside in the bright sunlight. If the cracks weren’t so long, and curving round the side, I maybe would have kept it.

You really need a cover for your Kindle to protect it against such things.

[Pjama]

Here you can see one of the cracks - it goes all the way from the bottom to the top, then curls round the side!! Hard to see in places because it is a hairline crack in some areas.

The second picture shows the crack on the other side which really is hairline, but long, and almost parallel to an intentional bend in the mold for the backplate - need to zoom to see it.

[Pjama]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

You really need a cover for your Kindle to protect it against such things.

Um - you might want to read my first post - it was using the official cover that likely caused this.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Pjama

Um - you might want to read my first post - it was using the official cover that likely caused this.

Please cancel your Finte order. Finte are terrible They don't last long at all. They are cheaply made and when they start to wear out, you'll wish you had not bout it.

[Pjama]

This picture is even more dramatic!

[Pjama]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Please cancel your Finte order. Finte are terrible They don't last long at all. They are cheaply made and when they start to wear out, you'll wish you had not bout it.

Haha no. I’ve had them before and they’ve been fine. My priority right now is having a silicone-backed case. If the case lasts only a year, I’ll buy another one.

[pdurrant]

Thanks for the pictures. I've never seen that happen with other Kindles.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Pjama

Haha no. I’ve had them before and they’ve been fine. My priority right now is having a silicone-backed case. If the case lasts only a year, I’ll buy another one.

It may not even last a year. It's not worth it to buy such rubbish.

[dublincheri]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

Thanks for the pictures. I've never seen that happen with other Kindles.

My denim Basic (2022) has a crack in the case from moving it between the soft back I used at home and the official fabric case I used for travel. I think it was taking it out of the old stiffer “back cover” that made it flex enough that it cracked. Now it lives forever in a new (more flexible) soft back case so I don’t see the crack.

[issybird]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

It may not even last a year. It's not worth it to buy such rubbish.

The Fintie cover on my Aura H2O is 11 years old....

[mergen3107]

Ouch, those cracks look bad. Seems like they appeared due to twisting.

Sorry to see that! Maybe you can apply a screen protector on the back to help the back cover stay together?

On a car windshield, people usually drill a tiny circular blind hole to stop the crack propagation. I don’t know if something like this is feasible in this case

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by issybird

The Fintie cover on my Aura H2O is 11 years old....

The Finte cover on my H2O is in the trash. My kwmobile cover is still going strong.